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Targeting the self-published author

How Very Special, My Dear

“Many people don’t seem to agree with my decision. I NEED people to understand that I am not “letting them win” by making this decision. I need to think about MYSELF; my health, welfare, attitude and mental state. My decision, though you may not agree, is best for ME.”Lauren Howard, latest snowflake in the drift..

Ah, SPAs, gotta love’em. No, really, most are out there working hard and hoping for a little recognition for their hard work and imagination. Then there is the vocal minority. I’m sure that they feel loved and admired when their friends and fans rush to defend and sympathise and isn’t that just what writing is all about to them?

So let’s talk Lauren, who has decided against publishing her book. Good. Because if this snowflake can’t handle the comments before her book is published, I shudder to think what would have happened when she got her first critical review. Because everybody who publishes gets critical reviews sooner or later.

As I understand it someone rated Lauren’s not-yet-published book 2 stars on GoodReads and the whining commenced. Evidently Lauren had not familiarized herself with how GoodReads works before she started whining. Sigh. Here’s some good advice: Know the rules before you whine. Start from a place of power or get your butt handed to you.

Now Lauren and her fanpoodles-fanpoodles, now this is a great word but it is such a disservice to poodles who are very intelligent dogs-have sobbed all over the internet about how terrible the people are on GoodReads and how very, very badly poor, dear Lauren was treated. Okay, let’s explore that.

Well now, Lauren’s book hit a few shelves with, shall we say, questionable labels but those labels weren’t applied to Lauren. No one said to Lauren she should be raped or sodomized. Lauren’s book didn’t fare so well. Lauren needs to learn she is not her book. Rookie mistake? No, more like drama queen needs drama.

After that first 2 star rating our little Lauren posted a question about low rating spam/troll accounts, calling the GR member in question a “low rating spam troll account”.

“…but at least I have a shred of decency and respect for other people.” Um, yeah, calling someone a low rating spam troll is totally respectful.

“Uh oh, sounds like a speshul snowflake is melting?” A question asked after Lauren’s posts about “low rating spam troll” came to light.

“You are a grown man spouting off? Really? Grow up! The book isn’t out and you are giving fake ratings?
It’s really pathetic. If you have nothing better to do may I suggest you go put your hand in a blender!”- Victoria, friend of Lauren.

Once the rating system was explained to me (ie. users rating to express anticipation) as a new user of Goodreads, I was fine just to move on. I am no “speshul snowflake” and don’t appreciate your sickening sarcasm. What you have done by being so vindictive is truly low, and I pity you for being such a heartless human being that you would deliberately try to hurt someone who was just confused and trying to understand.-Lauren. Um-hmm. So your calling someone a troll and your friend telling the reviewer to stick his hand in a blender are just, what, all intended in good, clean fun? Hey, we all know that when you called someone a spam troll you did it with all the love in your heart, right? And that thing about the blender that you tried to ignore, Victoria was just trying to get the reviewer to commit a little harmless self-dismemberment, nothing for anyone to get upset about. Nothing as low and vindictive and heartless as calling you, Lauren, a speshul snowflake. Call the police, let’s get this low-life off the net.

“I can’t control what my friends say,…”- Lauren, when asked why she wasn’t addressing her friends hands in the blender post. Wrong, Lauren, you can control what your friends say. You tell them to delete the comment, apologise, and maybe you stop being their friend because if having your book shelved under illegal acts with a lawn ornament horrifies you so much then having somebody who resorts to posting suggestions to strangers to physically harm themselves as your friend should make you vomit.

I was horrified to hear someone had told someone to hang themselves. I do not know this individual and I do NOT approve of this behaviour.– Lauren. But not horrified enough to actually chastise the poster.

“I am quite simply terrified, and do not know what to do. But absolutely NO ONE is willing to help me. No one will remove this book even though it’s not even a real book and it’s damaging my life right now. No one will let me remove the cover image. No one will let me change the name so people can stop finding me. No one will let me do anything and I don’t know who to turn to because no librarians will help me.

I read in the rules that if books were not going to be published, they can be deleted EVEN if there are ARCs. I read that librarians are supposed to help, but I’m receiving no help. I am sat in tears as I write this because I cannot DO THIS anymore.

I can hold my hands up and say this entire thing was a mistake and I NEED someone to help me and I NEED someone to erase this listing. According to the rules, it is eligible for deletion, even with the ARCs and reviews!

PLEASE, I am begging you… someone, ANYONE… please help me out here. “- Lauren. You see, things didn’t go quite the way she planned when she wanted to take her book and Flounce. First off, there are ARCs out there so her book can be added at any time, so no, it wasn’t removed. And the GRs staff didn’t respond immediately, because they don’t have anything else to take care of.

Librarians are not GRs staff. I’ve said this before. They are simply GRs members who have special privileges that can be revoked if they do not follow the rules. What Lauren was requesting is not something the librarians can do and if they try, they can get librarian status revoked.

“It’s disgusting that Goodreads won’t do anything about the bullying and fake reviews. Their responses are rubbish and generic.”– Emma Poulloura. Soon to be former GoodReads librarian that Lauren got to break the rules for her. Lauren is so happy to find someone to grant her wish right now that it doesn’t matter if Emma is violating the rules, Lauren first, rules a distant second.

Lauren has taken her book and left to create as much attention for herself as possible. That she isn’t quite telling the truth about her own behavior is no surprise and it won’t surprise me if Lauren and her book return. Because you know that the attention given to her right now will wane and Lauren really, really needs it.

Before posting I must make special mention of Jill Haldeman, an author who seems to think that insulting the disabled and thereby getting yourself labeled a BBA is a good marketing technique. I think that’s what she’s saying, to tell you the truth, it’s a bit chaotic so I might have got it wrong but, remember, this is from someone who fondly believes she’s an author. Let’s all show her neither is true.

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8 responses to “How Very Special, My Dear”

Wow, you told her! She was so asking for it, and boom! you bravely delivered the smackdown that uppity wannabe so richly deserved! Haha, expecting decency, what a maroon! And those hilarious rape jokes? Wow, those pesky victims are so quick to overreact, right? Great job! Proud of your wit and brutality!

Which attackers Fred? The one that wanted a reviewer to put his hand in a blender? No, that was Lauren’s friend. The one who told a poster to go hang herself? No, that was one of her supporters and now, NOW, Lauren posts she wasn’t actually threatened. Do either of you realize the damage she’s done? And she started this 2-3 days ago.

Let’s leave it at that? Why, Fred? Because it would spare little Lauren some well deserved discomfort? There will be people who forever will believe she was threatened with rape, sodomy, death. And Lauren is just bored by all of it now. She needs to be held accountable, she needs to stop thinking of herself all the damn time, and she needs to grow up.

She will also be a shining example to certain people that women always lie about rape. So thanks for that, Lauren.

Crazy quilts are unique and innovative quilts created from scraps of materials. My hope is for a world that uses all the scraps, rough cut diamonds and hidden treasures. I blog to make IPOC authors and their works more accessible.